Electrical connectors or modular jacks for telecommunications and data transmission connectors are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,648,678 to Archer and U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,209 to Bolick, the subject matters of which are hereby incorporated by reference. In connectors of this type, the contact geometries are defined by standards for interchangeability with mating connectors. The connector standards have existed prior to the need for a wide variety of data communications applications. Additionally, the standards have created a large base of installed connectors.
With certain applications, both single and multiple port applications are necessary. In manufacturing the single and multiple port assemblies, the use of a single nose, which can be interlocked in a single port housing or to be ganged together and mounted in different multiple port connector assemblies, is advantageous. Using different nose constructions for different types of electrical connectors creates a significant inventory and manufacturing problems.